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Jeter, Cano lead list of six Yanks All-Stars

Jeter, Cano lead list of six Yanks All-Stars

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By Bryan Hoch
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MLB.com |

NEW YORK -- The home dugout at Angel Stadium will be flooded with pinstripes on July 13, when manager Joe Girardi looks down at his first All-Star Game lineup card and sees at least six Yankees listed on the active roster for the American League.

Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter were voted into the AL's starting lineup in results released on Sunday by Major League Baseball, while Alex Rodriguez, Phil Hughes, Mariano Rivera and CC Sabathia are also all preparing to make the trip to Anaheim.

"You'd like your whole team to go," said Jeter, who is an All-Star for the 11th time. "We're going to be well represented with Girardi there and our whole coaching staff. We're looking forward to it."

Such are the spoils of defending a World Series title, with Girardi able to look in his own clubhouse to settle a few decisions looming over his roster selection.

But the fans took care of the middle infield, as Jeter and Cano led at every balloting checkpoint along the way. They joined the Twins' Joe Mauer and the Cardinals' Albert Pujols as the only Major League players to top 4 million votes.

"It's pretty exciting," said Cano, a second-time All-Star. "You go home after winning a World Series and keep working even harder. At the start of the season, to have the fans voting, that's one of the best things that happened in my life."

Jeter notched his sixth fan-elected start with 4,547,485 votes, while Cano was tabbed to make his first start with 4,135,305 votes.

"It's going to look like we're playing back at Yankee Stadium," Cano said. "We're going to have all of our guys in there. It's going to be pretty exciting -- my first All-Star Game playing second base, next to Jeter."

"Robbie has had an outstanding first half, and he deserves to go as much as any player," Jeter said.

Rodriguez had 2,549,161 votes to Evan Longoria's 3,977,935 but was one of Girardi's selections under the manager's appointment category, as the skipper had to use five of them to accommodate clubs that needed representatives for the All-Star Game. Girardi named Baltimore's Ty Wigginton, Chicago's Matt Thornton, Cleveland's Fausto Carmona, Kansas City's Joakim Soria and Oakland's Trevor Cahill to satisfy those demands.

Girardi pointed to Rodriguez's RBI totals as a reason why the slugger deserved to go to Anaheim, noting that his 61 RBIs were third in the AL entering play on Sunday, second only to the Rangers' Vladimir Guerrero (70) and the Tigers' Miguel Cabrera (68), both of whom were ticketed for the game.

"I'm very thankful to Joe for the opportunity to go," Rodriguez said. "I guess it's one of those privileges you have from winning a championship the year before. But still, Joe has to exercise that pick and pick someone that he thinks is worth going."

Rodriguez said that he couldn't be sure if he was going to be heading to Anaheim, so he had actually made two sets of plans -- one for work in Southern California and one for play in the Bahamas. He said that he was hoping to get the nod, though.

"It'll be great," A-Rod said. "We're going to be well represented, and to be wearing pinstripes with my teammates and coaching staff is a great honor. Let's not forget, the game does mean something, and you want to go in and give our team a chance to win."

Girardi selected Sabathia even though the left-hander is scheduled to pitch next Sunday, which would exclude him from actually playing in the game. That was by design, as Girardi can then name the also-deserving Andy Pettitte as a replacement.

"It's great -- if anyone deserves it, it's him," said Sabathia, now a four-time All-Star, of Pettitte. "It'll be fun to get out there with him and Phil and Mo and just hang out. I'm fine just going and being part of the Home Run Derby and everything that goes on.

"It's just one of those things. The regular-season games are more important. That's what we'll focus on."

Hughes will be making his first All-Star team, having grown up just miles from Angel Stadium in Santa Ana, Calif., while Rivera is on the team for an 11th time. Both players were voted in on the players' ballot.

"I'm really excited about it," Hughes said. "For it to be my first one, to be so close to home and to have my family out there and stuff, it's pretty cool. It's something that, who knows when it's going to be back there again or if I'm going to get another opportunity to pitch in one again? To make it this year is pretty special for me."

Rivera said that he is ready for the non-stop quizzing from his AL teammates, who seem to get younger and younger every year and want to hear the old war stories that his prized cutter has put him through.

"I'm prepared," Rivera said. "That's what happens when you have a few years in the big leagues. It's great. It's a blessing to represent and have a chance to be there again. I thank God for everything. It's a thrill."

Girardi said that he can't wait for his traveling contingent to hit the sun-splashed diamond in California, calling it the next-best thing to what transpired on the field at Yankee Stadium last Nov. 4.

"That we won the World Series the year before is probably the coolest thing," Girardi said. "The second-coolest is having the families involved and seeing the kids on the field with their dads for batting practice the day before -- the Home Run [Derby] -- and just being around all of the great players, watching what they do and how they go about their business."

Fans, having already decided the starters and this week the final player on each team, once again will have the opportunity to participate in the official voting for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player presented by Chevy via the 2010 All-Star Game MVP Vote Sponsored by Sprint on MLB.com during the All-Star Game.

The 81st Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and Le Reseau des Sports and around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Game coverage.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.